Joints with very low resistance between superconducting wires and methods for making such joints

ABSTRACT

In a method or joint for joining first and second semiconductor wires, each comprising a number of filaments which each comprise a superconductive core within a respective sheath, the filaments being embedded within a matrix and wherein the superconductive cores comprise magnesium diboride and the sheaths comprise niobium, over a certain length a matrix is removed to expose the filaments. The exposed filaments are immersed in molten tin such that the nobium of the sheaths is converted to niobium-tin throughout a thickness of the sheaths. A superconductive path is provided between the superconductive cores of filaments of the first wire through the niobium-tin sheaths of the filaments to the superconductive cores of the second wire.

RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a Divisional of U.S. Ser. No. 13/984,225,filed Oct. 7, 2013 title “Joints with Very Low Resistance BetweenSuperconducting Wires and Methods for Making Such Joints,” InventorSimon James Calvert.

BACKGROUND

The present application relates to methods for joining superconductingwires together, and joints as may be made by such methods.

When manufacturing equipment such as electromagnets from superconductingwire, it is commonly required to join separate lengths of wire together.In order to maintain the superconductivity of the equipment, the jointsmust also be superconducting, or at least exhibit very low resistance,if operation in ‘persistent-mode’ is required. Typically, jointresistances of ˜10⁻¹³ ohms are required to enable this mode ofoperation. Operation in ‘persistent mode’ is highly desirable as thisenables the power supply to be dispensed with after initial energizationhas been achieved.

Recent developments in superconducting materials have led to the use ofmagnesium diboride MgB₂ as a superconducting material. Magnesiumdiboride MgB₂ has the benefit of exhibiting superconductivity at highertemperatures than more conventional materials, avoiding the need to coolthe superconductor to very low temperatures. However, the materialitself is brittle, and difficult to join to form persistent joints.

FIG. 1 shows a cut-away view of a typical MgB₂-core superconductingconductor 10. Superconducting filaments 4 comprise an MgB₂ core 1 in anessentially granular, powder form, held within sheaths 2 of niobiummetal. These MgB₂-filled niobium sheaths are further encased in a matrix3 of high strength, conductive metal or alloy, such as the Cu—Ni alloyknown as “MON EL”. The matrix 3 and filaments 4 make up superconductingwire 7. The purpose of the niobium 2 is to prevent unwanted reactionsoccurring between the MgB₂ and matrix material during wire manufacture.

In one manufacturing method, known as the ex-situ process, granulated orpowdered MgB₂ is placed in a number of niobium lined holes drilled intoa billet of matrix material. The complete billet is then drawn to therequired final wire diameter. The Niobium-cased superconductingfilaments are formed and compacted during the drawing process.

The matrix 3 provides an electrically conductive shunt and thermal sink.Should any of the superconducting filaments 4 quench, then heat will becarried away from the quenched region by the matrix 3, and electriccurrent will flow through the lower resistance offered by the matrix.This will allow the quenched part of the filament to cool back tosuperconducting condition. The matrix also makes the superconductingwire more mechanically robust.

The conductor 10 typically also comprises a stabilizing channel 5. Thismay be of copper or another material, or combination of materials. Thechannels should be electrically and thermally conductive. In theillustrated example, the wire 7 is soldered at 6 into a cavity of thechannel 5. The channel 5 adds further electrical and thermal stability,and mechanical robustness, to the superconducting wire 7, in the samemanner as explained with reference to matrix 3.

In order to make a superconducting joint, two conventional approacheshave been adopted: firstly, a joint may be formed directly between theMgB₂ cores 1 of the wires to be joined. Alternatively, another material,which is also superconducting at the temperature of operation of thewire, is used to electrically join the MgB₂ cores 1 of the wirestogether in a superconducting arrangement. Typically, known joiningmethods involve exposing the MgB₂ cores of the superconducting wires tobe joined, and mechanically pressing the exposed MgB₂ particles of therespective wires together to form the superconducting joint. In someknown arrangements, an intermediate layer of a superconducting material,typically a metal such as indium is interposed between the exposed coresof the respective wires, to increase the contact surface area andimprove mechanical adhesion between the particles of the respectivewires. Such methods require significant mechanical loads to be appliedto the MgB₂ particles. The MgB₂ particles are relatively brittle, andapplying such significant mechanical loads risks fracturing the MgB₂superconducting material, leading to failures of the superconductingjoint.

In some known methods, MgB₂ particles are exposed and heated, forexample when joined by MgB₂ powder or a reaction between magnesium andboron powders. If the MgB₂ particles are exposed, there is a risk ofoxidation. Failures may occur sometime after the jointing process, afterthe joint is built in to a superconducting device, such as a magnetwithin a cryogen vessel. Such failures are very expensive andtime-consuming to repair, due to the access problems of reaching a jointwithin a superconducting device built into a cryogen vessel, and/orvacuum vessel, and so on. It is therefore an object to provide methodsfor joining MgB₂-cored superconducting wires which reduce the risk ofmechanical damage, or oxidation, to the MgB₂ particles.

However, tests on conventional joints between MgB₂-based superconductingwires have shown magnetic field tolerance values poorer than expected.This is believed to be due to conduction actually taking place throughthe niobium of the sheaths 2 rather than through the superconductingjoints between MgB₂ particles of the respective wires. Niobium is a“Type II” superconductor, but has a very low upper critical magneticfield strength B_(c2) when compared to other Type II superconductorssuch as the alloy niobium titanium. The critical field of niobium is inthe range of a few tenths of a tesla with exact value depending on manyfactors, most notably the current density. Since it is highly desirablethat joints for use in superconducting magnets should be able totolerate quite high magnetic fields, any jointing method that utilizesthe niobium sheaths for current transport is likely to be of little use.

Certain conventional methods for producing superconducting joints aredescribed in WO2007/128635A1, US2008/0236869A1, U.S. Pat. No.6,921,865B2 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,152,302B2.

SUMMARY

It is an object to produce superconducting joints betweenniobium-sheathed superconducting wires, such as those with a MgB₂-core,or those with a NbTi core.

In a method or joint for joining first and second semiconductor wires,each comprising a number of filaments which each comprise asuperconductive core within a respective sheath, the filaments beingembedded within a matrix and wherein the superconductive cores comprisemagnesium diboride and the sheaths comprise niobium, over a certainlength a matrix is removed to expose the filaments. The exposedfilaments are immersed in molten tin such that the nobium of the sheathsis converted to niobium-tin throughout a thickness of the sheaths. Asuperconductive path is provided between the superconductive cores offilaments of the first wire through the niobium-tin sheaths of thefilaments to the superconductive cores of the second wire.

The above and further objects, characteristics and advantages of thepresent exemplary embodiments will become more apparent from thefollowing description of those certain embodiments of the presentinvention, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a cut-away view of a typical niobium-sheathed, MgB₂-coredsuperconducting conductor;

FIG. 2 shows two superconducting wires at an early stage in a joiningmethod of the exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 3 shows the wires of FIG. 2 undergoing a later step in the joiningmethod of the exemplary embodiment;

FIGS. 4A-4C show cross sections of a niobium-sheathed, MgB₂-coredsuperconducting filament at various stages in a joining method of theexemplary embodiment;

FIG. 5 shows an enlarged partial view of FIG. 4C;

FIG. 6 shows the wires of FIGS. 2 and 3 at a later stage in the methodof the exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 7 shows a completed joint according to an exemplary embodiment ofthe present invention, following the step illustrated in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 shows a partial cross-section through a joint according to theexemplary embodiment, such as that illustrated in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 shows an enlargement of the area identified as IX in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 shows a wire prepared for joining according to another exemplaryembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 illustrates various stages in a method of forming asuperconducting joint according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention; and

FIG. 12 shows a cross-section of a joint according to the exemplaryembodiment as may be formed by the method illustrated in FIG. 11.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

For the purpose of promoting an understanding of the principles of theinvention, reference will now be made to preferred exemplaryembodiments/best mode illustrated in the drawings and specific languagewill be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understoodthat no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended,and such alterations and further modifications in the illustratedembodiments and such further applications of the principles of theinvention as illustrated as would normally occur to one skilled in theart to which the invention relates are included herein.

The present exemplary embodiment provides methods for joiningniobium-sheathed superconducting wires and joints such as may beprepared by such methods.

According to the exemplary embodiment, the niobium-sheathedsuperconducting filaments 4 are immersed in liquid tin (Sn), so that theniobium sheath reacts with the tin to form Nb₃Sn. Conventionally, Nb₃Snsuperconductor filaments have been prepared by diffusion of tin intofilaments of niobium during a long, high temperature, reaction process.A similar process is employed for jointing niobium-sheathed wiresaccording to the exemplary embodiment.

The Nb₃Sn is a superconductor having a much higher field tolerance (˜18T at 4K) than niobium (˜0.5 T at 4K), and a high critical temperature Tcof about 18K. Nb₃Sn also has a large coherence length, which enableslossless current transfer between the reacted sheath and the MgB₂superconductor granules or powder. The coherence length indicates thesize of gap which may exist between superconductors, yetsuperconductivity to still exist between them. By having a sheathmaterial such as Nb₃Sn with a large coherence length, superconductivitymay be maintained between the sheath material and enclosed grains ofMgB₂. Thus, if the niobium sheath in superconducting wires can beconverted to Nb₃Sn, the field tolerance of the joint should increasesubstantially and the transport current between the grains of MgB₂ andthe sheath material should be improved.

In known methods of joining MgB₂ cored wires, it is believed that themajority of electric current passes through the sheath material, ratherthan directly from the core of one wire to the core of the other. Theexemplary embodiment provides a particularly advantageous sheathmaterial to enable such current transfer to operate more effectively.

The reacted sheaths 2 of filaments 4 are joined by superconductingmaterials. The exemplary embodiment avoids the need to expose MgB₂grains and to make mechanical joints between them. It is believed thatexposure of MgB₂ to hot tin will result in the formation of undesiredcompounds as contaminants. This will degrade the attainable quality ofthe junction.

Joints according to the exemplary embodiment have a relatively highfield tolerance, and a relatively high critical temperature Tc. Jointsformed according to the methods of the present exemplary embodiment arebelieved to provide good electrical and mechanical connectivity betweenthe superconducting filaments of the joined wires, improved magneticfield tolerance of the joints as compared to conventional joints betweensimilar wires, and protection against mechanical damage.

FIG. 2 illustrates an early step in a joining method of the presentexemplary embodiment. Two conductors 12, 14 to be joined are stripped oftheir channel 5 over a certain length to expose the wires 7. A binding18, for example of stainless steel wire, is wrapped around the twoconductors in an unstripped region, to hold them mechanically together.The channels 5 of the conductors 12, 14 may be soldered together in theunstripped region for further mechanical stability. A certain length 20of each of the stripped regions of the wires 7 is bent to a radius r.The radius should be selected to be small, yet not so small as to riskdegradation of the MgB₂ superconductor. With present MgB₂ wires, aradius of about 80 mm-100 mm may be preferred. The bend may be made toan angle θ preferably in the range 45°-90°.

FIG. 3 shows a next stage in a method of the present exemplaryembodiment, a retaining clip 22 is applied, to hold the bent portion 20of wires 7 steady in position. The stripped wires 7 in the bent regionare immersed in an etchant 24 within a bath 26. The material andtemperature of the etchant is selected with regard to the materials andthe topology involved. The etchant is selected to remove the matrix 3material, and to expose the sheaths 2 of the filaments 4.

In a typical example, the matrix 3 is of copper alloy, and the sheaths 2are of niobium. An etchant 24 of nitric acid may be found suitable, asit etches copper but does not significantly attack niobium.

In other examples, molten tin (Sn) at a temperature of approximately300° C. may be found suitable. Cu and copper alloys dissolve readily inhot tin. In this case, the tin will simultaneously etch the coppermatrix and form NbSn in a single step.

Use of hot tin is preferred, and acid etch is preferably used only forsheath materials which are not significantly reactive with hot tin orwhere the removal of the sheath material with tin would take too long.

Bath 26 must be chosen to be resistant to the etchant 24. In the case ofa hot tin etchant, the bath may be a crucible. An agitator 28 may beprovided to cause circulation of the etchant 24 around and between thewires 7, and the sheathed 2 filaments 4.

Once etching is complete, reaction of the sheath 2 material is carriedout. In a crucible, which may be a crucible bath as used in the step ofFIG. 3, the bent region 20 is immersed in hot tin (Sn) at a temperatureof about 600° C. The elemental niobium (Nb) of the sheath 2 reacts withthe hot tin (Sn) by diffusion to become Nb₃Sn, a superconductor. Therate of diffusion of Sn into Nb is highly dependent on the temperatureof the molten Sn. Accordingly, the highest practicable temperature forthe tin is preferred. An inert gas or vacuum atmosphere may be providedto prevent oxidation of the tin.

FIGS. 4A-4C shows three cross-sectional views, each through a singlesheathed 2 filament 4 illustrating progression of the reaction. In FIG.4A, the MgB₂ core 1 is enclosed within an unreacted Nb sheath 2,immersed in the Sn bath 24. In FIG. 4B, the sheath 2 has begun to react,and an outer part of the sheath has transformed into Nb₃Sn, while theinner part of the sheath remains as elemental Nb. Reaction continues bydiffusion, until the sheath 2 is completely transformed into Nb₃Sn, asshown in FIG. 4C. The MgB₂ core 1 remains un-reacted.

The wires 7 are then removed from the crucible. FIG. 5 shows a partialcross-section of a single filament 4 following this step. The MgB₂ core1 is unreacted. The sheath 2 is now entirely of Nb₃Sn and a thin Sncoating is present on the sheath, from the Sn wetting in the crucible.The grains of MgB₂ within the core are shown. Due to the manufacturingmethod of the filaments, the MgB₂ grains are in close proximity to thematerial of the sheath: this distance is typically less than thecoherence length of Nb₃Sn, enabling a persistent superconducting jointto be made between MgB₂ cores, through the Nb₃Sn material of the sheath2.

FIG. 6 illustrates a further step in a method according to the presentexemplary embodiment. The bent portions 20 of wires 7, now comprisingMgB₂ cores in Nb₃Sn sheaths, are placed within a further crucible ormould 28. Alternatively, the same crucible may be used, if of suitableconstruction. A superconducting casting material 30 such as Woods metalor PbBi is added to the crucible or mould 28, thereby immersing the bentportion 20 of filaments 4. To assist with mechanical alignment duringcasting, the retaining clip 22 may be left in place. To providemechanical strength of the finished joint, adjacent parts of the wires 7may also be cast into the casting material 30. The casting material isallowed to cool and harden. The resulting joint 40 is removed from thecrucible or mould 28, as shown in FIG. 7.

It is important that the ends 32 of the filaments are not immersed inthe etchant, or in the superconducting casting material to preventdamage to, or contamination of, the MgB₂ core.

FIG. 8 shows a cross-section through a part of the joint 40 illustratedin FIG. 7. Filaments 4 of each wire are shown, still grouped together.The filaments 4 are embedded within the superconducting casting material30. FIG. 9 shows an enlargement of that part of FIG. 8 indicated at IX.The MgB₂ cores 1 of each filament are mechanically attached, andelectrically connected together, through superconducting Nb₃Sn sheath 2layers and the superconducting casting material 30. The Sn coating shownin FIG. 5 has gone into solution in the superconducting castingmaterial. An electric current i can pass from one core 1 of MgB₂,through a sheath 2 of Nb₃Sn, a distance of superconducting castingmaterial 30, another sheath 2 of Nb₃Sn, to the MgB₂ core 1 of anotherfilament 4. In this way, the superconducting joint of the exemplaryembodiment may be realized. There is no need to apply a mechanical loadto the superconducting wires, reducing the risk of damage to thesuperconducting filaments as compared to conventional joining methodswhich involve mechanical compression.

A variant of this method of forming a superconducting joint according tothe exemplary embodiment will be discussed with reference to FIG. 10.

In this embodiment, it is not necessary to bend the wires, allowing amore compact final joint.

FIG. 10 shows an end of a first wire to be joined. The matrix materialsuch as copper or MONEL 3 has been etched away, for example using acid,over an end portion, leaving Nb filaments in sheath 2 exposed. The ends42 of the filaments are sealed before immersion in tin in the crucible.This may be achieved by welding or mechanical crimping of the matrixmaterial.

During a crimping step, adjacent MgB₂ particles are crushed and fallfrom the filaments, leaving a length of empty sheath which may be sealedby crimping. Alternatively, welding, brazing or similar using a materialwhich is unaffected by tin (Sn) at 600° C. may be used to seal the endsof the filaments. Such sealing has the objective of preventing the MgB₂particles from coming into contact with the molten tin.

In the method of FIGS. 3-7, the bend in the wires is provided to preventimmersion of the open ends of the sheaths in the etchant, the tin andthe superconducting casting material. By using straight wires withsealed ends, as shown in FIG. 10, the open ends of the sheaths are alsoprotected from exposure to etchant or casting material. The crucible inwhich wires such as shown in FIG. 10 are cast into a joint may be muchsmaller than that shown in FIG. 7: for example, a narrow cylinder. Amulti-part mould may be used to form moulding cavities for such joints,as crucibles may be difficult to form and fragile in use if shaped as anarrow cylinder.

Superconducting joints formed as described above are believed to besuitable for application in the manufacture of dry magnets cooled by acryogenic refrigerator to a temperature of about 10K. In such anarrangement, it is preferred that the superconducting joints should bepositioned close to the refrigerator, to ensure effective cooling of thejoints.

An alternative method for forming superconducting joints will now bediscussed, with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12. This method shares thefeature of causing reaction of the niobium sheaths of the filaments withtin to form Nb₃Sn superconducting sheaths. However, the resulting jointis crimped together, rather than being cast in a superconductingmaterial.

FIG. 11( i) shows two wires 7 to be joined together according to amethod of the present exemplary embodiment. The ends of the wires havebeen sealed at 44, for example by crimping, brazing or welding, with amaterial which is resistant to hot tin.

As shown in FIG. 11( ii), the matrices 3 are stripped over a certainlength at their ends. The filaments 4 are thereby exposed. The materialof the seals 44 must be resistant to any etchant used to strip thematerial of the sheath. The seals 44 prevent exposure of the MgB₂ coresto the etchant.

As illustrated in FIG. 11( iii), a cylindrical metal crimp 46, forexample of niobium-lined copper tube is placed around the filaments. Theniobium lining may be a coating on the inside of the copper crimp, ormay be a niobium foil wrapped around the filaments, with a copper crimpthen placed over the foil. The crimp should be a snug fit, but nottight, lest damage be caused to the filaments as the crimp is fitted. Amechanical crimping step is then performed, schematically illustrated byarrows 47. This presses the niobium lining of the crimp into contactwith the niobium sheaths of the filaments, and presses the filamentsinto contact with each other. Although some mechanical compression offilaments 4 is involved, the MgB₂ cores 1 remain encased within the Nbsheaths 2, which reduces the risk of damage to the cores duringmechanical compression, as compared to most conventional methods.

FIG. 11( iii)(a) shows a cross-section through the crimp at this stage.The outer surface 48 of the crimp shows mechanical deformations 50 dueto the crimping process. The niobium lining 52 of the crimp 46 is to beseen. Within the crimp, the filaments 4 of the wires 7 are pressedtogether into mechanical contact. The crimping process must becontrolled so as not to damage the MgB₂ cores of the filaments. At thisstage, the MgB₂ cores 1 of the filaments 4 are electrically joinedthrough niobium metal sheaths 2, and the niobium lining of the crimp.

FIG. 11( iv) shows a further stage in this method. The crimped filaments4, as illustrated in FIGS. 11( iii) and 11(iii)(a) are immersed inmolten tin 54 within a crucible 56. The molten tin is at a temperatureof about 600° C. or more. This step may be performed in a vacuum, or inan inert atmosphere to prevent reaction of atmospheric components withthe tin. As discussed with reference to FIG. 4, immersion of niobiumsheaths 2 in such hot tin causes the niobium to react with the tin bydiffusion to form superconducting niobium-tin (Nb₃Sn). Preferably, thisreaction is performed at a suitable temperature, and for a suitabletime, for the niobium sheaths 2 to completely transform to Nb₃Sn, but itis not necessary for the niobium lining 52 to completely transform toNb₃Sn.

FIG. 12 shows a cross-section, similar to the cross-section of FIG. 11(iii)(a), of the resulting crimped joint. The outer surface 48 of thecrimp shows mechanical deformations 50 due to the crimping process. Thelining 52 of the crimp 46 has been converted to Nb₃Sn. Within the crimp,the sheaths 2 of filaments 4 of the wires 7 have also been converted toNb₃Sn. They are pressed together into mechanical contact. The MgB₂ cores1 of the filaments 4 are electrically joined through Nb₃Sn sheaths, andthe Nb₃Sn lining of the crimp. The Nb₃Sn components are superconducting,as discussed above, and have much better superconducting characteristicsthan niobium, for example in having a significantly greater fieldtolerance (about 18 T at a temperature of 4K) and a higher criticaltemperature (about 18K). Nb₃Sn also has a relatively large coherencelength. The copper crimp 46 is unaffected by immersion in tin, otherthan in gaining a tin coating.

While the resulting structure illustrated in FIG. 12 may be immersed inmolten superconducting filler material such as Woods metal or PbBi,which infuses between the filaments 4 and fills the crimp, it ispreferred not to include such jointing material. The mechanical andelectrical contact between Nb₃Sn sheaths and Nb₃Sn crimp lining layerprovided by this embodiment of the invention may be sufficient toprovide the required superconducting joint. The resultant joint betweenmultiple Nb₃Sn connections without a filler material is expected totolerate relatively high strength magnetic fields and remainsuperconducting at temperatures in excess of 10K. Such joints areexpected to be useful in the manufacture of dry magnets cooled bythermal conduction by cryogenic refrigerators operating at about 10K.

The present exemplary embodiment accordingly provides methods forjoining superconducting wires, and joints such as may be produced bysuch methods. The present exemplary embodiment relates to joints betweenfilaments having a niobium sheath, such as superconducting wires havingMgB₂ cores, those having NbTi cores, and joints between a MgB₂ coredwire and a NbTi cored wire. According to the exemplary embodiment, theniobium sheaths are immersed in hot tin (Sn) so as to convert theniobium into Nb₃Sn, which is a superior superconductor to elementalniobium. The resulting Nb₃Sn sheaths act as an efficient and effectiveconductor for introducing transport current into the MgB₂ cored wires.Magnetic field tolerance of the resulting joint is significantlyimproved as compared to conventional joining methods for such wires, inwhich it is thought that the niobium sheath carries some or all of thecurrent flowing through the joint. The MgB₂ core is not exposed to thetin (Sn) during joint formation, reducing the risk of contamination oroxidation of the MgB₂ core.

Some exposure of an MgB₂ core to hot tin may be tolerated, provided thatthe tin does not penetrate a significant distance into the wire so as toreach the effective part of the joint.

In some exemplary embodiments of the present invention, multiple jointsmay be formed in a single tin artifact. Each joint may be of two or moresuperconducting wires. In a variant of such embodiments, multiple jointsmay be formed in a single tin artifact, and the tin artifact may then bedivided to provide separate joints.

Although preferred exemplary embodiments are shown and described indetail in the drawings and in the preceding specification, they shouldbe viewed as purely exemplary and not as limiting the invention. It isnoted that only preferred exemplary embodiments are shown and described,and all variations and modifications that presently or in the future liewithin the protective scope of the invention should be protected.

I claim as my invention:
 1. A method for joining first and secondsuperconducting wires, each wire comprising a number of filaments whicheach comprise a superconductive core within a respective sheath, thefilaments being embedded within a matrix, the superconductive corescomprising MgB₂, and the sheaths comprising elemental Nb, comprising thesteps of: over a certain length of the filaments of each wire, removingthe matrix to expose the filaments; immersing the exposed filaments inmolten Sn such that the elemental Nb of the sheaths within said certainlength is converted to Nb₃Sn throughout a thickness of the sheaths; andwithin said certain length providing a superconductive path between thesuperconductive cores of filaments of the first wire through therespective Nb₃Sn sheaths of the first wire to the superconductive coresof the filaments of the second wire through the respective Nb₃Sn sheathsof the second wire.
 2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the stepof immersing the exposed filaments in molten Sn is performed using Sn ata temperature of at least 600° C.
 3. The method according to claim 2wherein ends of the sheaths are sealed prior to the immersion in themolten Sn, such that the cores of the filaments are not immersed in themolten Sn.
 4. The method according to claim 2 wherein an inertatmosphere is provided around the molten Sn to prevent oxidation of theSn.
 5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the step of immersing theexposed filaments in molten Sn is performed while preventing exposure ofthe cores to the molten Sn in an effective part of the joint.
 6. Themethod according to claim 5 wherein the wires are bent prior toimmersion in the molten Sn, such that ends of the sheaths are notimmersed in the molten Sn.
 7. The method according to claim 6 whereinthe bent wires are retained in fixed relative positions by a retainingclip during the immersion in the molten Sn.
 8. The method according toclaim 1 wherein the filaments of the first and the second wires areretained within a crimp during the immersion in the molten Sn, suchthat, following conversion of the sheaths to Nb3Sn, electrical andmechanical contact is provided between the Nb3Sn sheaths of thefilaments.
 9. The method according to claim 8 wherein the step ofretaining within the crimp comprises the sub-steps of: bringing thefilaments of the wires into close proximity; placing a cylindrical crimparound the filaments; and mechanically crimping the crimp to press thefilaments into contact with each other.
 10. The method according toclaim 9 wherein the crimp is lined with Nb which is pressed into contactwith the filaments as crimping is performed, and wherein the lining isat least partially converted into Nb3Sn during immersion in the moltenSn, providing a further superconductive path between the filaments. 11.The method according to claim 1 wherein adjacent to at least one endcarrying current to the certain length and outside of said certainlength the sheaths comprising said elemental Nb.
 12. The methodaccording to claim 1 wherein the sheaths comprise said Nb adjacent toboth opposite ends of and outside of said certain length.
 13. The methodaccording to claim 1 wherein the superconductive path betweensuperconductive cores of the filaments of the first wire through theNb3Sn sheaths of the filaments to the cores of the second wire isprovided by embedding the filaments of the first and the second wireswithin a superconducting casting material.